Officials Push Prison Phone Call Rate Cut, Some Disagree
By: Alese Underwood, KTAL
Updated: November 17, 2012
The Louisiana Public Service Commission Chairman Foster Campbell is pushing for 25 percent cut in inmate telephone rates and eliminating add-on fees.
"We have to treat people fairly. This isn't fair to the inmate's family. They've done nothing wrong and these are people that work every day," Campbell said.
In Caddo Parish inmate phones bring in $36,000 a month.
The Sheriff says cutting the money out would hurt operations at the prison and taxpayers.
"That would be money from victims that taxpayers have to come up and would directly impact us," Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said.
Foster says in Caddo Parish 40% of the inmates have not gone to trial yet and the state of Louisiana has more people in jail per capita than any area in the world.
"We have to treat people fairly. This isn't fair to the inmate's family. They've done nothing wrong and these are people that work every day," Campbell said.
In Caddo Parish inmate phones bring in $36,000 a month.
The Sheriff says cutting the money out would hurt operations at the prison and taxpayers.
"That would be money from victims that taxpayers have to come up and would directly impact us," Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator said.
Foster says in Caddo Parish 40% of the inmates have not gone to trial yet and the state of Louisiana has more people in jail per capita than any area in the world.
